By BOAZ BISMUTH, ISRAEL HAYOM— You can’t say this came as a surprise. From the moment that the uprising in Syria started in Daraa in mid-March 2011, Israel was concerned. We knew that the situation in Syria was difficult and complex. There are no angels on either side of the conflict there. We also knew…
By EARL COX, JPOST— Now that Barack Obama has been re-elected and sworn in to serve another term as President of the United States, this question is appropriate. Is Mr. Obama good for Israel? According to election exit polls, about 75 percent of American Jews voted for President Obama. They seem to believe that he…
By ISI LEIBLER, JPOST— The unexpected election results have created daunting challenges for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Many Israelis dislike Netanyahu. He has personality deficiencies and, like every Israeli leader since David Ben-Gurion, has made major mistakes. But to his credit, over the past four years he has moved Likud to the center and achieved…
By HOWARD LAFRANCHI, JWREVIEW— Elections can sometimes lead to new beginnings and bold initiatives, but few Middle East experts expect a rosy hue to suddenly color US-Israel relations after Tuesday’s national elections in Israel. Two key reasons explain why recent tensions in relations are likely to continue, analysts say: differences over the approach required to…
By ISRAEL HAYOM– Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki declared Wednesday that the Palestinians would have “no choice” but to complain to the International Criminal Court if Israel proceeded with plans to build housing on land the Palestinians want for a future state. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on…
Poetic Comment to I A F By Arley Steinhour To I A F, this short blessing from me, Baruch Atah, for keeping your skies free; Much like a broom, sweep the blue sky, Of every hostile, that wants you to die, Then, rake the ground, with furrows deep, So that your Loved Ones, mortality keep.…
By GILL HOFFMAN, JPOST— Israel’s fate for up to the next four years will be decided on Tuesday when 5,656,705 voters will be eligible to choose among 32 parties at 10,132 polling stations nationwide from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Politicians from across the political spectrum expressed optimism that, with good weather expected, turnout in…
By JONATHAN SCHANZER, NEW REPUBLIC— “We’re no longer on the verge of a third intifada—it’s already here,” one Israeli military official announced January 6. The invocation of intifada may have been intended to shock. But it also describes the new reality now emerging in Palestine. There has been a steady drumbeat of bad news coming…
